"What were you doing in the library last night?" I hear Lucian's voice as soon as I walk into his room.

Every inch of my skin is covered in sweat and my body aches from exhaustion. After watching the brief sparring session between Christina and the other fighter I had pounded all my fear into a punching bag hoping it would ease the trepidation in my chest. The only thing I had succeeded in doing is making myself too tired to bother for today.

I wipe the strands of hair that cling to my forehead and shut the door behind me.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to read something," I reply in annoyance. "That was before you tried to stab me in the eye."

"I did what?" Lucian stands up abruptly, the chair behind him nearly falling over.

"You. Tried. To. Blind. Me," I say each word with every step I take feeling angry for more reasons than I can count.

I'm angry about my terrible new opponent. Angry about Leslie making me divulge my secret to Cassandra and even more angry about needing to defend myself not only during the day but during the night as well.

"Tell me what happened from the start," Lucian instructs calmly, ignoring my snappy tone of voice.

"Can I take a bath first?" I ask quickly, wanting to soak in the bath the attendant told me about this morning. I just want to sink into the water and disappear for a few seconds.

"What about your training?" He leans back against the chair and nods his head at the seat in front of him. "I have a surprise for you. Something to brighten your mood."

I groan in frustration and walk up to his dining table to take a seat.

"What is it?" I sigh. It seems like he is compensating again for hurting me and I know he feels guilty which makes me wonder if he is aware when he attacks me.

"Give me your report first and then I'll deliver my end of the deal," He shoots me a small guilt ridden smile and I quickly brief him on everything that happened last night, leaving out the part where I snooped around his forbidden documents. I just told him I was sleepy and that I knocked over a chair which he believed easily.

He was more interested in how he attacked me and what he said.

After my summary, his face lights up in recognition for a split second and I have the suspicion that he knows what I am talking about again.

"You know what I am talking about right?" I am surprised that I have the nerve to ask him what I know in my gut is right. "You know who you're attacking when you sleep walk."

Lucian's face twists in agony before he stiffens and collects himself.

"I only asked for your report not your opinion," He says in a warning tone and I sink in my chair wondering how long I will be able to take this.

"I used to have nightmares when I was young too. My mother would ask me about them and once I described my fears to her I would be able to sleep better. Maybe that's all you need to do. Talk to someone," I suggest feeling desperate and hopeful at the same time but he only laughs in response.

"Are you seriously comparing me to a human child with nightmares? I am Plutonian. We are the bravest, most powerful species in the galaxy. We don't talk about our feelings, and certainly not our nightmares," He pauses looking directly into my eyes with vehemence. "We have nothing to fear."

I want to roll my eyes at his boastful statement but I control myself when I see that he is gripping the edge of the table tightly.

"And even if we did, it would be most frowned upon to admit it," He adds after a long stretch of silence.

I refrain from saying anything else knowing that it will only make him more angry and decide to change the topic instead. "So what's the surprise?"

At hearing this he jumps up excitedly and makes his way to my side of the table.

"I'm going to need you to stand up," He says and I oblige.

I lean over in curiosity and watch as his fingers glide over the smooth surface of his dining table. He uses the pads of his index and middle finger to run a straight longitudinal line towards the center of the table like he is searching for something.

His fingers reach what looks like the exact center and then he moves one finger's breath above and my eyes widen as his fingers dip into a shallow cavity. I realize it is a button as it lights up due to his touch.

The table lights up from that spot and then tiny criss crossed lighted lines spread outward from that point making it look like a grid, the ones we were forced to work on on their construction sights. I remember hanging by the sides of the framework of high rise buildings looking down at the engineers going over electric grids that made up their ceilings and floors.

Micro sized lights were distributed evenly and easily due to their design and I had always been awed during their test runs. They could make the most insignificant amount of energy light up a whole building.

Once the whole table has lighted up, a vertical column appears out of thin air in the middle and I squint my eyes at the screen as Lucian sifts through various folders.

I take a step forward and my heart rate quickens when I see various folders labelled coordinates, landing sites, extraction sites, potential bases. The folders were endless, it would take me days to go through each and every one of them.

Lucian clicks on a folder and enlarges it with his two fingers until it takes up the whole screen. He touches the center and the image comes to life.

It only takes me a few seconds to realize that I am watching Christina wrapping her legs around a fighter in the pits and biting her neck until she shrieks.

Lucian smiles at me and he glides his finger to the right showing me multiple recordings of fights in the pits and some in the training center, all starring Christina.

He stretches out his hands before him and turns to me. "I've studied most of her moves already. Quite predictable. You should be able to defeat her easily."

I stare at screen with my mouth partially open and then at him.

"How did you--? I just found out today," I stutter.

"I only needed to ask. We find out before you do, obviously," He says proudly. "Now come on, let me show you her signature move."

"Umm, wait," I interrupt him, feeling extremely unsure about everything for some reason. There is a nagging feeling at the back of my head that I can't quite catch.

"Is this allowed? Do other fighters get recordings of their fights?" I ask him.

"Well I suppose they could obtain them, if they asked. I don't know. Does it matter?" Lucian scratches his head and stares at me looking confused.

"Is this cheating?" I finally ask what has been bugging my mind. Although it is extremely convenient to have all of Christina's recordings and to be able to learn to anticipate her moves, there's a part of me that wants to beat her on my own accord. That of course is a much riskier decision.

Lucian crosses his arms over each other and frowns at me in disappointment.

"Cheating? Cheating is sabotaging your opponent guaranteeing your win, cheating is taking self enhancing drugs to make you unrealistically stronger and unbeatable. This isn't cheating, Aria. This is called being prepared."

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right," I swallow hard wondering why I am not eagerly accepting this useful gift. My match with Christina is in a few days and judging by what I saw today, I needed all the help I could get.

"You know what's your problem," Lucian huffs impatiently. "You lack motivation."

"I do not," I answer defensively.

"How badly do you want to join the army, Aria?" Lucian stands in front of me now, looking into my eyes with such an intensity that I almost look away but I stand my ground and keep my eyes wide open, not wanting to look weak.

"I would give my life for the opportunity," I stand up straight and answer confidently.

"Really? Then whats so wrong about practicing and being prepared?" He raises his brows at me looking skeptical.

"Is it fair though? I mean I've never seen these videos in the training center or recreation room. I don't think they have access to them," I start again but Lucian is quick to cut me off.

"Enough with the bull shit." He places his finger in front of my face to shut me up. "It doesn't matter if they have access to it or not, Aria. The point is you do, so are you just going to waste the opportunity? Do you even realize how lucky you are to have this vantage point? I've practically guaranteed you a place in the army, all you have to do is win three fights. Just three. It doesn't matter how you get there, only that you do."

"But-."

His finger inches closer to my face, almost touching my nose as it shakes incessantly, silencing me once again.

"Maybe you haven't seen enough which is why you aren't desperate enough," He walks away from me and back to the vertical screen that levitates above his table. He touches a button on the top left corner and I see the options 2D and 3D. He finger touches the word 3D and the screen disappears for a split second.

I jump back when images form all around me. I turn around feeling as amazed as I was when I saw the grids lighted up, only this is up close and more beautiful than any grid I've ever seen. Everywhere I look I see small lighted up spheres floating in various locations.

The main light source comes from the center of the table.

The spheres around the table are so dense that when I blink my eyes a few times they look like they have merged to make up a much larger flatter sphere. Spiral arms poke out from it sides and extend through out Lucian's room.

Each arm consist of numerous tiny spheres. I look around the room at the spectacular sight. There must be millions of them. Above me small globular clusters float peacefully, undisturbed by the sea of spheres below them.

"Come here," Lucian says and I walk carefully over to him, afraid that I may displace the spheres with my movements but instead I walk through them like a ghost.

He leads me to one of the spiral arms poking out of the center which is situated near his bed.

"This is our solar system," He says. He uses his two fingers to enlarge that region and my eyes widen in excitement when I see small planets rotating around their orbits, all circling one large star: our Sun. At least I knew that much.

"That's us," Lucian points at the tiny planet at the furthest position and on the outermost ring, it's orbit slightly different from the other planets. "The forgotten son of the solar system."

I nod my head understanding the reference. It does seem as if Pluto was never meant to exist. It was like a tiny dot compared to the other giants.

I spot the beautiful blue green one, the third from the Sun.

"Earth," I murmur and Lucian nods his head.

"What's that?" I point at a cluster of small objects beyond the solar system that look much larger than Pluto.

"We call that Planet X. It's a relatively new discovery," He says frowning.

"It's really near," I state the obvious and he nods his head in agreement. "Anyway this is where the army bases are." He points at three planets in our solar system including Earth and then takes me around the room to show all the other planets that have Plutonian bases.

"We're all over the Milky Way and once you join the army you will be able to travel to these places. Isn't it exciting? Aren't you willing to do anything for this opportunity that so little have?"

I don't even have to think about my answer. If the Plutonian's could travel all over the Milky Way then travelling to Earth, which was only a few orbits away should be a piece of cake.

I nod my head meekly at Lucian knowing in my gut that I will do anything to go home, no matter what the cost.